Ok I finally got ch 6 up… I hope you all enjoy it and thanks for the previews feedback, and thanks in advance to any of you who read it and leave feedback.

Chapter 6

"Soul"

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Soul…he has a soul"

"Don't most people have a soul?" Kennedy asked confused, and looking back and forth at the other people in the room.

"Spike's a vampire" Anya explained. "…and now, a vampire with a soul." She said looking back at Buffy and Xander.

Xander stayed quiet, so did Buffy, but everything was starting to make sense to her. The flowers, the caring of where Tara was, everything, it all made sense now. "He has a soul." She repeated in a whisper.

"Isn't that what I've been saying…well this has been an interesting night. Lets go Xander….We'll see you all tomorrow" She said in a bored tone and walking towards the door. Xander followed behind, not looking at any one. They all heard the door close behind him.

"I…" Buffy paused not knowing what to say. "I have to go…on patrol….see you all tomorrow" She said also leaving the house.

"Well this was an interesting night…. I'm going to go to bed now, night guys…..night Tara" Dawn said walking by and giving Tara's arm a squeeze. "Everything will be fine right?" She asked in a small voice.

Tara sighed and gave Dawn a small smile. "I hope so Dawnie."

"You're not mad at Willow are you?"

Tara didn't answer anything at first. "Willow has a lot to explain." She said before smiling one last time and turning around to walk up the stairs.

Dawn sighed and after a few moments followed Tara up and went to her own room.

The three potentials stood there quietly.

"Molly, can you stay down here for a little while? I want to talk to Tara." Kennedy waited for the nod she received from Molly before going to Tara's room.

Tara sat on her bed, lost in thought and hugging her knees to her chest.

She heard a few small knocks on her door. She got up from her bed and went to answer expecting Dawn on the other side. She was surprised to see Kennedy on the other side, standing there shyly. A stance Tara hadn't seen and hadn't imagined her in. Tara stood there not saying anything.

Kennedy finally got that Tara wasn't going to say anything so she started.

"Uh hi…can I come in….I …I want to talk to you about Willow and tonight."

Wordlessly Tara moved back into her room and opened the door wider for Kennedy. She walked back to the bed and sat on it, going back to her former position.

Kennedy entered the room and closed the door behind her. She walked further into the room and stood at the foot of the bed.

"I…I want to apologies for before. When I would uh…flirt with Willow. I didn't know that she…that she was taken"

"She isn't t-taken" Tara said quietly and sadly. "She and I aren't together, I'm sure she told you that, since she was t-talking to you about me"

"I know….and she did." Kennedy began. "But she loves you…so yeah…she's taken, I mean, I don't know if you knew this, but sometimes drunk people do what they want to do most. And if you where paying attention, she totally kissed you, not me, and not any one else,"

Tara didn't say a word, she just looked down at her knees.

"Look, I just came to apologize for that and for tonight, and to better explain it." She said sitting on the edge of the bed, making her point that she wasn't leaving till she said what she had to say.

Tara finally looked up and when she didn't hear Kennedy speak for a few moments she looked at her. Once Tara had looked at her, Kennedy began.

"While you where at the store, the magic one…she took me to the computer shop where she got her things. I started hitting on her again, and asked her out for drinks. She pulled away from me and told me and I quote…"I will not do anything that will sabotage me and Tara"

Tara finally smiled a little. Then it fell "But you g-got her to agree to going w-with you"

"Well yeah, but she made sure to let me know it wasn't a date though. I told her just to go with me to show me the place and have a few drinks and to tell me the ever long story as to why you two weren't together."

"So she told you, what she told me then?" Tara asked wondering exactly what Willow had said.

"Something like that….but I did say long…..she told me everything….from the first time that she laid eyes on you at that fairy tale crap group, uh sorry, Wicca group, to what happened last night, and everything in between….it was a babblefest….which she said you found quirky, along with the pens"

Tara smiled big, thinking about her babbling redhead. She shook her head still smiling. "That's Willow."

"So I've learned." Kennedy added with a smile of her own. "Look I just came to tell you that, and to maybe beg of you to go easy on her tomorrow…with the whole drunk thing, I'll take the blame for that, but the kiss, that was all her. Don't be mad please. She wouldn't have ever done it if she hadn't been intoxicated."

Tara nodded. "I'm not upset at Willow, I understand, she's drunk…she'll feel horrible tomorrow, I think that'll be enough punishment for her."

"What…she's going to feel horrible that she practically made out with you in front of the entire house old plus more…yeah I can see that, she seems to be shy."

Tara giggled. "No not that...well maybe…but no…she...she doesn't handle alcohol very well….she's going to have a huge hangover tomorrow morning"

"Ah I see...Well we'll just have to take funny pictures of her puking her guts out over the toilet." Kennedy said as she stood up.

"That's a bit…ewww" Tara said laughing.

Kennedy smiled back, happy to see the blond laughing with her. "Well I better go, let you rest, and if not, I'm sure Molly wants to sleep too. Goodnight Tara. And I really am sorry." She walked to the door and opened it.

"Kennedy….Thanks"

Kennedy smiled at Tara and walked out.

'She isn't that bad' Tara thought as she laid on her bed.

As Kennedy walked out, Dawn walked out of the bathroom.

"Hey, what's up?" Dawn stated when she saw Kennedy.

"Oh not much, I was talking to Tara and I…"

"And you're alive?" Dawn said with a grin.

"Ha-ha….yeah, I just wanted to apologize….I was afraid she was going to kick my ass, but she didn't, lucky me…anyways, I was just going to go to bed, I think I'm gonna bunk with Annabelle downstairs, let Willow rest, and you know…make sure she doesn't puke on my side of the bed." She said with a small giggle.

"Well if you want to bunk with me…Buffy's going to be out all night patrolling or if you really want downstairs, send Annabelle" Dawn said as she started to walk to her room.

Kennedy thought about it for a moment "You know, I think I'll take you up on that offer just let me get a few things from Willow's, and go tell Molly she can go to Tara's now."

Dawn nodded and went to her room.

After that, every one got settled in for the night.

Buffy patrolled the streets of Sunnydale. Well not really. She had a lot on her mind. Luckily for her, there weren't any vamps out. As she walked mindlessly, her feet took her to the cemetery. Once she was inside and walked around for sometime she realized she was there and sighed.

She wanted to get her mind of Spike. She just couldn't at the moment. She tried endless amounts of things to try get him out of her head, but couldn't. "Stupid Spike…He just had to go and get a soul. Like I haven't had a problem with those before." She kicked at a rock that was on the ground and followed it. As she walked by she realized that she was walking some where all too familiar.

Just ahead was Tara's grave. Where Tara would have been. She wondered how they were going to get things straighten out for Tara now that she was back. She figured Willow could hack into something.

She stopped shortly at the grave then kept on walking. As she walked she saw Spike sitting on a gravestone. She sighed and decided that she wanted him out of her mind she would have to confront him about all this.

She got closer and watched as he didn't even move. "Spike?"

He quickly turned his head to her. He jumped of the gravestone and stood close by it. "Buffy…what are you doing here?"

"I'm on patrol" She said simply not wanting to get into much with him besides what she wanted to know. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Spike pretended to be confused. "I…what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me Spike, you know what I'm talking about." She said at him a little annoyed. When he didn't say anything automatically she added. "Your soul Spike. When did you get it, how?"

"Saw a man about a girl… I went to seek a legend out. Traveled to the other side of the world, made a deal with a demon." He said and started walking away from her. But she followed him.

"Just like that?"

"No...Not just like that…I went to the end of the bloody world just so… There was a price. There were trials, torture, pain and suffering... of sorts. Next thing I know …I'm all bloody Angel like." He said whining a bit. He kept on walking, but not trying to get away from her, at least not doing all he could to get away from her.

Buffy had stayed quiet listening to his story of what the trials had consisted of. And the incredible pain he felt as and after his soul was placed into him.

"Why did you do it?" She looked at him confused. "I don't get it. Mr. Big Bad goes and gets his soul doesn't exactly fit well."

Spike stayed quiet and didn't turn to her he just kept on walking. When Buffy didn't get an answer she sighed. "I just want to know why Spike." She said trying to stay in pace with him and get some answers. After not getting any she through her hands up and walked away frustrated and angry that Spike wouldn't tell her.

Spike had stopped walking when Buffy had walked away. He stood there till he was startled by some one.

"Hey Spike….why didn't you tell her?"

Spike sighed. He turned around and saw Clem there. "What am I suppose to tell her, it wouldn't change things. It just adds to my troubles." Spike started walking again, this time towards his crypt.

Clem followed. "How, she's gone for you fangy types before, and you have a soul now too. Just tell her that you went and got the soul because of her."

"It's not like that will fix every bloody thing I did…everything I did to her." He whispered afterwards.

"Come on, it cant be that bad….and even if it is that bad, I'm sure she's a forgiving girl, or she'll know that you are a changed man…. vampire." They had gotten to Spike's crypt now.

"It was bad" He said slowly. He got in his crypt not inviting Clem in but leaving the door open. He went and dropped himself of on his couch in front of the TV. "Thanks for keeping my crypt for me." He said getting up only to get blood for himself. Clem nodded and sat him self on the comfy chair he had placed there himself while Spike was gone.

The sun shined through Willow's window, hitting her in the face. She scrunched her brows together, the world coming back to her. First thing she noticed was the extremely painful ache in her head. She tried sitting up and after a few attempts she was finally able to sit up. She grabbed her head with her hands. She groaned as she tried to get out of bed. As turned and left her legs hanging of the side of the bed she looked at the clock on the night stand and noticed it was almost eleven. She also noticed a glass of water and two pills. She took them with out a second thought and finished the water. Slowly she went out of the room and down to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Buffy, Dawn, Tara, and the three potentials all stood or sat nearby as they talked. They all looked towards the hall way as they noticed Willow mumbling what sounded like curses under her breath. Buffy grinned at her. "Morning Will" Willow gave her a mumbled "morning" And sat on the empty stool next to Buffy and across from where Kennedy stood right in front of her and Tara to her left.

Willow placed her elbows on the counter holding her head. "So…have fun last night?" Dawn asked with a knowing grin.

"Ugh…I don't know…my head hurts to much right now…I can't remember anything" She said rubbing small circles on the side of her head.

"I'd say you had fun." Buffy said to her looking over to Dawn and they both turned to Tara who was finding her shoes very interesting.

"Sorry you feel crappy Willow" Kennedy spoke up.

Willow not recognizing the voice at first looked up and after realizing it was Kennedy she nodded and lowered her head. But just as quickly as she had nodded, everything came back to her,

"Oh God!" She said lifting her head up. Buffy quickly turned to her, concerned as to why Willow had practically just screamed. Every one was looking at her now.

"Oh God what did I do. Tara I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just I was, and then with the effect of the….but I would never….not with out…and I'm so sorry…I wasn't thinking…I was drunk...and I didn't know any better, I would have never done something like that., please don't be mad at me…nor at Kennedy, it really wasn't her fault… I was the one that drank too much, she tried to stop me after that, but I wouldn't let her. I'm so sorry Tara. I…" She babbled, worriedly.

Thoughts of how she had just jeopardized her future with Tara ran though her mind.

"I missed Willow babble." Dawn stated to Buffy casually, as if nothing had just happened. Buffy just nodded with a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

The potentials, except Kennedy, were staring at her in shock and amazement. Kennedy just shook her head looking at Tara, giving her a look that just said, I mentioned she would panic.

Tara shook her head at Kennedy smiling. She turned to Willow and whispered. "Its fine" With that she excused her self and went out the kitchen door into the back yard.

Willow feeling she blew it, did the same and excused her self to go back up to her room and rest some more.

"That didn't go very well" Kennedy said once Willow was gone.

Buffy sighed "I'll be back" She said walking out to the back yard where Tara was.

She found Tara sitting on a bench with a lost look on her face, looking up to the window that is Willow's.

Buffy quietly sat next too her. Tara realized she wasn't alone anymore, but didn't move her gaze from the window. "I don't want her to be sorry, I just don't want to go back on my word"

"I know…and I think she understands as to why you're not up there with here at the moment, but…" Buffy paused, as if choosing her words carefully. "But, she doesn't know where you two stand. She just knows that you choose not to be with her at the time"

Tara looked down at her lap. Then she looked up at Buffy. "T-thank you, again…for the pep talk…t-they…they help m-me" She said standing from her place, as Buffy did the same. "Go get your girl."

Tara smiled at her and they both walked back into the house.

Tara walked past the kitchen and slowly ascended the stairs till she reached Willows bedroom door. She knocked a couple of times and waited for a reply.

On the other side, Willow expecting Buffy or Dawn replied. "Come in." Willow's back was to the door, as she faced the opposite wall, silent tears falling from her eyes.

Tara turned the handle and slowly entered the room. She saw Willow lying in the middle of the bed, on her side. She walked further into the room till she was by the bed her knees touching the bed. She saw the shine from the sun hitting Willows tears and frowned. She slowly sat on the bed and placed her hand on Willow's shoulder.

Willow saw a hint of blonde when Tara had sat down and place her hand on her shoulder. "Buffy what am I going to do?" She asked with out turning. "It hurts so much, I know I messes up, but I can't take being with out her, she said she needed time, and ok it's only been a few days but…isn't that enough time?"

Tara's heart fell as she listened to Willow, seeing her sob as she talked.

"What can I do to show her that I've changed, but only the bad, that I'm still the same person she met in Wicca group…she said she needed time, why cant she just come up to me and asked me for coffee like I asked her. I can feel her close to me, even when she's no where near me, it makes things worse" she said babbling sadly.

Tara smiled a little "We should get coffee sometime…..maybe some day ... this week after class?" Tara asked repeating the words Willow had used to ask her out for coffee.

Willow froze and her eyes went wide.

To be continued…..